Paper embossing



Feb.2,1926. 1,571,594 w. A. LORENZ PAPER EMBOSSING Filed August 5, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 my. 1. M

fnven Z02 mm amiZorenz Feb. 2,1926. 1,571,594

W. A. LORENZ PAPER EMBOSSING Filed August 5, 1921 ZSheets-Sheet 2 Fa 7 W ZZZ;

Patented Feb. 2, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. LORENZ; CF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO THE OTAKA FABRIC COMPANY, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A COR- PORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

PAPER EMBOSSING.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. LORENZ, a citizen of the United States, residing in Hartford-in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Paper Embossing, of which the following is a specification,

This invention relates to indenting or cmbossing a paper web for various uses, such as making ornamental paper, paper flags, paper towels or napkins, and other articles in which there is need for flexible paper or paper not liable to break in handling, or when packing goods therein.

One of the objects of the present inven: tion is to provide improvements in indenting or embossing the paper by two rolls, each of which is provided with numerous peripheral flutes or grooves alternating with ribs; these rolls intermeshing, that is, the ribs of one roll running in the grooves of the other roll. Each ribiis serrated.

The indentation of the paper by these rolls has the effect ofgathering the web somewhat. especially in longitudinal direction. and hence the linear speed of the paper as it is delivered from the embossing rolls mustbe less than its linear speed as it advances to the rolls; and provision is made for overcoming this discrepancy and avoiding the liability of tearing of the web by the points of the teeth. This provision includes a pair of power-driven plain rolls which have gear connections to the paperindenting rolls, and are set so as torevolve at higher peripheral speed thando the indenting rolls: the entire work of drawing the web into the embossing-machine being performed by said plain or feeding-in rolls, which deliver the paper at the requisite high speed to the more slowly revolving indenting rolls. whereby longitudinal tension of the web by means of said indenting rolls is avoided, and hence the liability of the teeth punching through the paper is successfully eliminated; Provision is made for effecting various adjustments of the relative speed between the feeding couple and the indenting or embossing couple, to accommodate different thicknesses of paper or diflerent kinds of work or other conditions.

Where still greater flexibility, limbering or breaking of the fibers is required, there may be employed a supplementary set of indenting or embossing rolls, between which the paper, after it is indented by the main set of rolls, is passed. The supplementary indentations effected by the supplementary couple fall in different places from the, indentations effected by the primary rolls, thus breaking up ordimbering thefibers at different points in the web, whereby the same is rendered highly flexible and softened for use as paper towels, and other purposes.

One of the advantages of the invention is that in many cases the paper may be indented or embossed while dry, thus efi'ecting a saving in manufacturing, inasmuch as it becomes unnecessary to provide a wetting apparatus, or to employ expensive, slow and objectionable drying ovens for the finished product. The reduction in the cost of the finished product is a substantial item as compared with paper which is gathered by ordinary means, such as by the usual crepeing devices including a doctor-blade and a cylinder to which the paper is caused to adhere by moisture, and from which it is scraped by the doctor-blade. The weakness of moist tissue and other frail papers which are crimpled in the old way, leads to tearing of the web by the doctor-blade, thus incurring great delay and waste; but, by using the present improvements, the paper can be provided with an indented or embossed pattern which is much more attractive-than ordinary crinkling or creping, and the machine may be run at very hlgh speed as compared with a machine in which wet paper is scraped from the cylinder by a doctor-blade, and there is no danger of tearing of the web, with consequent waste and loss. Where the paper is to be used ornamentally, the em bossed design is superiorto ordinary crinkling. The invention is not, however, limited to embossing paper which is dry, since it may be moistened more or less in some cases as required.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 represents a plan view of the machine having a relatively high speed infeeding couple and a single. relatively low speed embossing couple.

Figure 2 is a sectional side elevation of the same.

Figure 3 is an enlarged section of the indenting or embossing device taken at about the line 3?) of Figure 2.

Figure 4 shows an enlarged longitudinal section of the indenting or embossing roll, taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1. This figure also illustrates the in-t'e'eding or drawing rolls.

Figure 5 is a plan of the preferred formof the invention, showing the supplemental embossing mechanism.

Figure 6 a side elevation of the same. Figure 7 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view of the primary and supplemental embossing couples, taken on the line 77 of Figure 6, and showing the preferred oli'set arrangement of the annular sets of embossing teeth. y

Figure 8 shows a. section of the embossing rolls. the paper being omitted. The paper web 10 is drawn forwardly from any source of supply, such. for example, as a roll 11. by means of a pair of powerdriven feed-rolls 12, 13; the latter having meshing drive gears 14, 15; a power-pinion 16 meshing with 15 and connected to a driving pulley 17. By means of these rolls. the paper is positively drawn into the machine and advanced to the power-driven embossing rolls. 1 I The upper indenting or embossing roll is designated as 18. and the lower as 19. Figure 2. and each is termed with peripheral rows of teeth or notched ribs at 20. alternating with grooves 21. The peripheral grooves or flutes may first be formed in each cylinder. and then longitudinal grooves 22. Figure 4. may be out along the cylinders, thus notching the ribs and forming the teeth 20 z the grooves being preferably sunken below the bases of the teeth. as shown best at Figure 4. Eachcvlinder thus comprises alternating peripheral grooves and peripheral ribs or 'ridges. the ribs 24. in one cylinder meshing with the grooves in the other. The rotation of the rollsdevelops a tendency to draw the paper into the grooves or toflute it longitudinally. but. in view of the notched condition of the ribs, the result is gained that longitudinallines or interrupted depressions or indentations are formed upon the web, as at 25, Figure 1; said web showing the depre'ssions made by the upper cylinder only,.

but it being understood that similar depressions 26 are made upwardly in the under side of the web by the lower cylinder in the lines or spaces between said rowsof the depressions 25. This produces a close pattern of indentation or ornamental embossing upon the web, Figure 1, without the use of depressed dies on either cylinder in which projecting dies of the other cylinder must completely fit. Inasmuch as the indentation of the paper proceeds along its entire width sin'iultancously, the web is firmly gripped between the cyhnders, and the teeth or points upon the other cylinder, as at Figures st to 8.

To avoid liability of rupture of the paper, the advancing edge 27 of each tooth is beveled or backed ofi' or given a gradual slope,

forming a sharp angle with the periphery of the cylinder. so that the paper is gradually indented as the cylinder is revolved, and liability of rupture avoided. The other or following edge of the tooth 28 may be made abrupt, thereby giving a sharpness to the indentation on the paper, and hence improving its appearance. This indentation or embossing pattern upon the paper can be made so gradually that the rolls may be revolved at relatively highspeed, and in many cases the web 10 may be dry, thereby avoiding the necessity of the expense of dampening devices and drying ovens tor the embossed paper. The use of dry paper is also an advantage when making paper towels, etc., inasmuch as the dry fibers are more efiectively broken up and the paper made more soft and flexible.

Inasmuch as the paper is rolls 18, 19 throughout the wi th of the web, there is little or no reduction in width made by the indenting operation, but what paper is necessary to be drawn into the indentations may be taken up from the advancing web. which, therefore, is longitudinally gathered to some extent by the indenting rolls.

Owing to the longitudinal gathering of the "web, the indented web 29 necessarily leaves the machine at a slower speed than the plain web 10 enters the same; and accordingly the feeding-in rolls 12, 13 are not only provided, but the rolls 18, 19 are geared for a lower speed than the feeding-in rolls. A suitable train of gearing for this purpose may include a gear 30 on shaft 31 of roll 13, and a pinion 32 meshing with 30 and carried upon a shaft 33. A pinion 3 t of smaller diameter than 32 may be mounted rigidly therewith.

ripped by the llt) and in mesh with gear upon shaft 36 of roll 19, so that the surface or peripheral speed of 18, 19 (connected by meshing gears "cured by a nut 43*.

35, 36) may be enough less than the surface speed of 12, 13 to compensate for the longitudinal gathering action of the indenting rolls upon the web. The rolls 12, 13 deliver theweb to the indenting rolls so rapidly that the latter fail to subject the paper to strain in pulling it forward, and hence the liability of rupture is avoided. even with dry paper. 9 To accommodate different kinds or thicknesses of paper, and different designs and depths of teeth on the embossing rolls, provision may be made for varying the speed of the rolls 18, 19, relatively to 12, 13. The pinion 34 may be detached and a smaller one substituted therefor on the shaft 33, and both pinions 34, 32 may be swung upon an arm 37 until the smaller pinion 34 meshes with gear 35. Said arm 37 may have a hub 38 loosely mounted upon the shaft 31 of the lower cylinder 13; and it may also have an extension or bend 39 provided with a slot 40 through which passes a fastening bolt 41, to secure the arm 37' wherever adjusted. If desired, a larger or smaller pinion 32 may be used; said pinions 32 and C 34 being carried upon a stub shaft 42 secured upon said arm 37 by a bolt 43, and this bolt may be adjusted along a radial slot 44 formed in the end of the arm 37 and se- This will accommodate different sizes of pinions 32; while the arm 37 may be swung to accommodate the pinion 34 to the gear 35. Thus any desired surface speeds of the indenting or embossing rolls 18, 19 may be secured.

All of said rolls may be mounted in standards 45 rising from a base 46, and having I adjustable springs 47 for pressing the upper shafts 48, 49 down, to give the desired pressure on the paper between the rolls. The indented paper may be carried ofl upon a delivery belt 50 or otherwise.

. At Figures 5 and 6, the feed-rolls, instead of being plain, as at 12, 13, are longitudinally grooved around .their peripheries, as at 51. so as to corrugate the web in transverse lines as at 52. This transverse corrugation is effected without putting undue strain upon the paper, which readily pays oif from the roll 11, and accommodates itself to the corrugating. operation.

The paper then passes between a couple of embossing rolls, designated as 18, 19 at Figures 5 and 6, which rolls may be the same in all respects as the rolls 18, 19 at Figures 1 and 2. Owing to the preparatory corrugation of the web by the rolls 51, not only does there occur additional bending and breaking of the fibers of the paper, but the effect of gathering the paper endwise at this stage is to render it easier for the rolls 18, 19 to indent or emboss the paper.

This is partly because of the increased flexibility of the corrugated paper, and partly because the corrugations lend themselves more readily than plain paper to the indenting action of the teeth 20. In other words, the preparatory corrugating or crinkling of the web makes a provision of a surplus of paper between the rolls 18, 19, which surplus may be drawn upon or taken up, as the numerous portions of paper are forced into the form of indentations or embossings, so that longitudinal and lateral strain upon the paper is reduced or avoided; this being a desideratum especially where dry or only slightly moist paper is employed.

.If the rolls 18, 19, at Figure 6, deliver the indented paper 29 at the same speed as it is delivered byv the introductory rolls 51,

the gears 30, 3.5 on the lower rolls 15, 19,

may be connected by a single idle pinion; but if, owing to the quality orthickness of the paper, or the depthand frequency of the indentations or embossings therein, it becomes necessary to drive the rolls 18, 19 at a lower speed than the rolls 51, there may be employed the movement-reducing gearing 32. 34, already described.

If still greater flexibility is desired in the finished product, as. for example, in making towels, a further breaking up or limbering, of the fibers may be effected by means of an additional pair of indenting rolls 53, 54,

which maybe similar to 18, 19, and arrangedat the delivery side of the latter, as at Figures 5 and 6. These supplemental rolls 53 and 54 may be so offset axially with reference to the primary rolls 18, 19 that the longitudinal lines of indentations produced by 53, 54 are somewhat offset with relation to the lines produced by 18, 19. This will be understood by reference to Figure 7 in which it will be seen (by the aid of lines 55, 56) that in the upper cylinders the peripheral grooves of 18 are in line with the indented ridges of 53; and, of course, the peripheral grooves of 19 are in line with the indented ridges of 54. It follows from this that each longitudinal row upon the finished web 57 includes upward indentations alternating with downward indentations; the,

cylinders 53, 54, being preferably so set with reference to 18, 19 that each downward indentation produced by 53 falls between two upward indentations produced by 19, in every line of indentations. However, the

invention is of value even though the alteristics of the paper or of the embossings, if it I becomes necessary to operate the cylinders 53, 54 at lower speed than cylinders 18, 19,

there may be employed the intermediate movement-reducing gearing 32, 3 k mounted upon an arm 59 swiveled upon axle 60 of cylinder 54 and adjustable in a similar mannerto 37. i

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention, and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A web-embossing machine comprising coupled power-driven embossing rolls and coupled power-driven feeding-in or drawing rolls geared to run at higher peripheral speed than the embossingrolls, and a supplementary set of power-driven indenting or embossing rolls through which passes the web that is indented or embossed by the first set of embossing rolls.

2. An embossing couple for embossing a paper web, comprising two rolls, each of which is provided with numerous peripheral flutes or grooves alternating, with ribs, the ribs of one roll running in the grooves of the other roll, and the ribs on both rolls being serrated, whereby indentations are made simultaneously in opposite sides of the web, a power-driven couple for feeding paper to said rolls at a higher speed than it is delivered from said rolls, and a supplementary set of power-driven indenting or embossing rolls through which passes the web that is indented or embossed by the first set of embossing rolls.

3. An embossing couple for embossing a paper web, comprising two rolls, each of which is provided with numerous peripheral flutes or grooves alternating with ribs, the ribs of one roll running in the grooves of the other roll, and the ribs on both rolls being serrated, whereby indentations are made simultaneously in opposite sides of the web, a power-driven couple for feeding paper to said rolls at ahigher speed than it is delivered from said rolls, and a supplementary set of power-driven indenting or embossing rolls through which passes the web that is indented or embossed by the first set of embossing rolls, means being provided for eflecting adjustment of the relative speed between the feeding couple and the embossing couple.

4:. An embossing couple for -embossmg a paper web, comprising two rolls, each of which is provided with numerous peripheral flutes or grooves alternating with ribs, the ribs of one roll running in the grooves of the other roll, and the ribs on both rolls being serrated, whereby indentations are made simultaneously in opposite sides of the web, a power-driven couple for feeding paper to said rolls at a higher speed than it is delivered from said rolls, and a supplementary set of power-driven indenting or embossing rolls through which passes the web that is indented or embossed by thefirst set of embossing rolls, means being provided for effecting adjustment of the relative speed between the feeding couple and the embossing couple, means being also provided for effecting adjustment of the relative speed between the primary embossing couple and the supplemental embossing couple.

5. An embossing couple for embossing a paper web, comprising two rolls, each of which is provided with numerous peripheral flutes or grooves alternating with ribs, the ribs of one roll runnin in the grooves of the other roll, and the ri s on one roll being serrated, the advancing edge of each serration or tooth being beveled or given a gradual slope forming a relatively sharp angle with the periphery of the roll,' so that the paper may be gradually indented as the roll is revolved.

6. An embossing couple for embossing a paper web, comprising two rolls, each of which" is provided with numerous peripheral flutes or grooves alternating with ribs, the

ribs of one roll running in the grooves of the other roll, and the ribs on one roll being serrated, the advancing edge of each serration or tooth being beveled or given a gradual slope forming a relatively sharp angle with the periphery of the roll, so that the paper may be gradually indented as the roll is revolved, the following edge of each tooth being made relatively abrupt.

7. An embossing couple for embossing a paper web, comprising two rolls, each of which is provided with numerous peripheral flutes or grooves alternating with ribs, the ribs of one roll runnin in the rooves of the other roll, and the ribs on 0th rolls being serrated, whereby indentations are made simultaneously in opposite sides of the web, the advancing edge of each serration or tooth being beveled or given a radual slope forming a relatively sharp angle with the periphery of the roll, so that the paper may be gradually indented as the roll is revolved, the following edge of each tooth being made relatively abrupt.

8. A web-embossing machine comprising coupled power-driven embossing rolls and coupled power-driven feeding-in or drawing rolls, and a train of speed-reducing gearing between the feeding-in rolls and the embossing rolls. I I

9. A web-embossing machine comprising coupled power-driven embossing rolls and coupled power-driven feeding-in or dmwing rolls, and a train of speed-reducing gearing between the feeding-in rolls and the embossing rolls, said train including means whereby a pinion in said train may be substituted by a pinion of different diameter. 11. A web-embossing machine comprising coupled power-driven embossing rolls and coupled power-driven feeding-in or drawing rolls, one of said feeding-in rolls having a gear, one of said embossing rolls having a gear, and rigidly-connected pinions meshing with said gears respectively.

12. A web-embossing machine comprising coupled power-driven embossing rolls and coupled power-driven feeding-in or drawing rolls, one of said feeding-in rolls having a gear, one of said embossing rolls having a gear, rigidly-connected pinions meshing with said gears respectively, an arm carrying said pinions, said arm mounted to swing about the axis of one of said rolls to bring the pinions into proper relationship I rolls geared to run at big with the gears, and means for securing said arm where adjusted.

13. A' web-embossing machine comprising coupled power-driven embossing rolls and coupled power-driven feeding-in or drawing rolls, one of said feeding-in rolls having a gear, one of said embossing rolls having a gelaar, rigidly-connected pinions meshing wit said gears respectively, an arm carrying said pinions, said arm mounted to swing about the axis of one of said rolls to bring the pinions into proper relationship with the gears, said arm having a radial slot for permitting the use of different size pinions, and means for securing the pinions where adjusted in the slot.

14. A web-embossing machine comprising coupled power-driven embossing rolls and coupled power-driven feedingiin or drawing er peripheral speed than the embossing rolls, the feedrolls having longitudinal corrugations to flute or corrugate the paper transversely, and speed-reducing gearing connecting said fluting rolls with said indenting or embossing rolls.

15. A web-embossing machine comprising coupled power-driven; primary embossing rolls and coupled power-driven feeding-in rolls to said primary embossing rolls, and

speed-reducing gearing connecting said primary embossing rolls to said supplementary embossing rolls.

17. An indenting couple comprising two rolls, each having numerous annular sets of teeth with spaces between the sets, in which spaces the teeth of the otherroll run, and a supplementary couple of embossing rolls to which the paper embossed bythe first couple is delivered.

18. Anindenting couple comprising two rolls, each having numerous annular sets of teeth with spaces between the sets, in which spaces the teeth of the other roll run, and a supplementary couple of embossing rolls to which the paper embossed by the first couple is delivered, said supplementary rolls being substantially similar to the primary rolls. i

of teeth with spaces between the sets, in which spaces the teeth of: the other roll run,

19. An indenting couplecomprising two rolls, each having numerous annular sets and a supplementary couple of embossing rolls to which the paper embossed by the first couple is delivered, said supplementary rolls being substantially similar to the primary rolls, but ofi'setaxially with reference to the primary rolls, whereby the longitudinal lines of indentations produced by the supplementary rolls are out of line with those produced by the primary rolls.

WILLIAM A, LORENZ. 

